Spike Protein News and Research

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SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations during transmission among humans and to animals

A fascinating new study discusses the 40 mutations that are seen on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and their potential effects on viral biology.

3 May 2021

Class I HLA alleles shape CD8+ T cell repertoire in SARS-CoV-2 infection

An interesting new study discusses how adaptive cellular immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 is dependent on differences in HLA-encoding genes between patients.

3 May 2021

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant (HMN.19B) has been identified in France

New research published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s journal Emerging Infectious Diseases has confirmed the emergence of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant called HMN.19B from the viral clade 19B in France. The 19B viral clade — which includes the D614G variant — was prevalent in late 2019 but had since been rarely observed since early 2020 because of newer viral clades.

3 May 2021

Vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein elicits protective immune response in animal model

New preclinical results from a study led by David Masopust of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA, show that a Had5-based vaccine targeting the nucleocapsid protein can also elicit a protective immune response.

3 May 2021

Competitive multiplex binding assay can monitor SARS-CoV-2 immune responses using nanobodies

Researchers at the Eberhard Karls University and the University of Tübingen in Germany described 11 unique nanobodies (Nbs) specific for the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), of which 8 Nbs potentially inhibit the connection of RBD with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

3 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2’s distinctive "spike" protein plays a key role in the disease itself, shows study

Scientists have known for a while that SARS-CoV-2's distinctive "spike" proteins help the virus infect its host by latching on to healthy cells. Now, a major new study shows that they also play a key role in the disease itself.

3 May 2021

Researchers identify novel SARS-CoV-2 variant with mutations in membrane protein-encoding gene

A recent study published in the Journal Emerging Microbes and Infections has highlighted the emergence of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant with mutations in the membrane protein-encoding gene. Two potential mutations, M:I82T and M:V70L, have been identified within the transmembrane helices, which are expected to improve viral fitness by modulating glucose uptake during replication.

3 May 2021

Researchers develop a nanoparticle-based formulation with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

A study recently published in the journal Matter has demonstrated the development and validation of a nanoparticle-based formulation, capable of completely inhibiting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection blocking the interaction between viral spike protein and host cell angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

3 May 2021

Could CRISPR be used as a SARS-CoV-2 antiviral?

The potential of using this gene manipulation technology as a SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor or prophylactic is investigated in a review recently uploaded to the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine (April 25th, 2021) by Arnab Banerjee and colleagues.

2 May 2021

Previously infected vaccinees broadly neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the effectiveness of first-generation vaccines at protecting against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals who have previously been infected with the virus.

2 May 2021

Applications of nanoparticles in combating COVID-19

Researchers review the various properties and use of nanoparticles in targeting SARS-CoV-2 and how they could be used to develop new therapeutics and diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2.

30 Apr 2021

Furin cleavage site crucial in SARS-CoV-2 for viral transmission in ferrets, finds study

Researchers based at Imperial College London, UK, have recently highlighted the effects of these deleterious CS mutations through a ferret animal model, demonstrating that furin cleavage sites are a necessary component in the virus’ ability to replicate.

30 Apr 2021

Monoclonal antibody CT-P59 shows preclinical efficacy against South African SARS-CoV-2 variant

Researchers in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), The Netherlands, and South Africa have demonstrated the potential of the monoclonal antibody CT-P59 as an effective therapeutic for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the South African B.1.351 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

29 Apr 2021

"COVID-19 diarrhea" depends on inflammatory response that is part of the disease

Researchers in the United States have provided important insights into the pathophysiology of diarrhea that occurs in some cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

29 Apr 2021

Host protein mimicry of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding motif

In a new study, structural bioinformatics approaches are employed to investigate the potential mimicry of the receptor-binding motif (RBM) of these three coronaviruses, finding that several proteins from both human and non-human sources were similar to each, with implications regarding the mechanism of infection and tropism of SARS-CoV-2.

29 Apr 2021

New insights into how South African SARS-CoV-2 variant sacrifices tight binding for antibody evasion

The highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variant that recently emerged in South Africa, known as B.1.351, has scientists wondering how existing COVID-19 vaccines and therapies can be improved to ensure strong protection.

29 Apr 2021

Potent monoclonal antibody shows promise against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

In a new study currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a group of US-based researchers developed a panel of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 that can block viral attachment to cells – and pinpointed a specific one that can potently neutralize all tested variants of concern.

28 Apr 2021

Recovered COVID-19 patients show signs of long-term immunity

A study conducted by researchers in the United States has found that most patients who recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) showed signs of long-lasting immunity against the causative agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

28 Apr 2021

Brazilian coronavirus variant could pose a bigger threat than previously assumed

A new study with the University of Copenhagen represented indicates that the coronavirus variant called P.1, which originated in Brazil, could pose a bigger threat than previously assumed.

28 Apr 2021

COVID-19 donor antibodies show broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related viruses

A new study reports on a set of antibodies from COVID-19 donor serum, which seems to be cross-reactive across multiple Sarbecoviruses, including the very similar SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV.

28 Apr 2021

Spike Protein News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations during transmission among humans and to animals

Class I HLA alleles shape CD8+ T cell repertoire in SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant (HMN.19B) has been identified in France

Vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein elicits protective immune response in animal model

Competitive multiplex binding assay can monitor SARS-CoV-2 immune responses using nanobodies

SARS-CoV-2’s distinctive "spike" protein plays a key role in the disease itself, shows study

Researchers identify novel SARS-CoV-2 variant with mutations in membrane protein-encoding gene

Researchers develop a nanoparticle-based formulation with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Could CRISPR be used as a SARS-CoV-2 antiviral?

Previously infected vaccinees broadly neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Applications of nanoparticles in combating COVID-19

Furin cleavage site crucial in SARS-CoV-2 for viral transmission in ferrets, finds study

Monoclonal antibody CT-P59 shows preclinical efficacy against South African SARS-CoV-2 variant

"COVID-19 diarrhea" depends on inflammatory response that is part of the disease

Host protein mimicry of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding motif

New insights into how South African SARS-CoV-2 variant sacrifices tight binding for antibody evasion

Potent monoclonal antibody shows promise against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Recovered COVID-19 patients show signs of long-term immunity

Brazilian coronavirus variant could pose a bigger threat than previously assumed

COVID-19 donor antibodies show broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related viruses

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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